International Relations News

Mayor Park Won-soon Attends World Economic Forum, Davos

01/22/2016SMG2380

Mayor Park Won-soon will speak on Seoul’s Administrative Innovation and Governance at the 46th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland from 20 to 23 January, 2016.

Global leaders from around 40 countries, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S Vice President Joe Biden, and the Director of IMF Christine Lagarde, and around 2,500 delegates from government, industry, and the academic world are also attending the forum.

The 46th World Economic Forum will deal with the effects of the digital transformation to the world under the theme: “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Mayor Park will attend four sessions (▴Fostering Innovation in Cities ▴Governors Policy Meeting for Infrastructure & Urban Development ▴Meet the Leaders ▴The Soul of the City) on 20 and 21 January.

At the three sessions of them—Fostering Innovation in Cities, Governors Policy Meeting for Infrastructure & Urban Development, The Soul of the City—Mayor Park will introduce some examples of Seoul’s Administrative Innovation reflecting the idea of the fourth industrial revolution, such as “Owl Bus”, a late-night bus service for citizens, which was developed based on the big data of three billion phone calls, and the so-called “2030 Seoul Master Plan” established by citizens’ Governance.
In addition, he will attend the session of Meet the Leaders, which is led by Global Shaper, an organization under Davos Forum consisting of young businessmen and civil activists aged between twenties and thirties. This session is a place for free communication with invited leaders from various fields around the world.

Moreover, Mayor Park will find opportunities to improve the global image of Seoul, strengthen the global network, and collaborate with the world by having individual meetings with important people from governments, organizations, and industries, including the Director General of UNESCO Irina Georgieva Bokova, the Secretary General of OECD Angel Gurria, and the CEO of Schneider Electric Jean-Pascal Tricoire.

In particular, Mayor Park will attend sessions by himself without a retinue, serving as a correspondent in Davos. He plans to report the forum in real time directly to Seoul citizens through his social media accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook.

Mayor Park said, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution, the main theme of this forum, has already begun. By leading the trend, Seoul will establish various policies accordingly to achieve the Fourth Administrative Revolution.” And he added, “As the Mayor of Seoul and correspondent in Davos, I will deliver what I learn and feel at the forum to Seoul citizens in real time.”